In a funk

After Doug left the house to play in his Sunday evening poker tournament, the phone ran. It was from area code 509 and since I didn't recognize it, I didn't pick it up. A little bit later I got curious and check the message. It was from my Uncle Pete. He was calling to tell me that his wife, my Aunt Grace, was flying to Galveston. Evidently my Aunt Mary was diagnosed with throat cancer earlier this week. Uncle Pete said that my cousins were going to be there as well and Aunt Mary had said before that her biggest fear was being alone and having to go through something like cancer. Of course, Aunt Grace has been battling breast cancer for more than 18 months.

So I called mom. My aunts are my dad's sisters, but I figured mom would know what was going on. Also, I wanted to ask about my dad. Mom had sent an email earlier this week saying dad didn't want anyone to know, but he was in the hospital. He fell and with his diabetes was having some issues with his foot and got admitted to the hospital. However mom had made the email sound like it wasn't that big of a deal and that they would still be able to go on their two week cruise through northern Europe and back across the Northern Atlantic to New York. When I talked to mom I found out dad's foot was a bigger issue and that the doctor cancelled their cruise. My father has been having issues with one of his feet, but this is the other one now. It looks like he will be wearing a cast on one and a brace on the other. He still doesn't want anyone to know, so we all have to act like we don't. (Luckily he doesn't know how to even get on the Internet, so I'm not worried about him reading this blog.)

You know, it's so hard to know what to do. The way my uncle was talking, I should head to Galveston. I have a journalism/mass communication conference this week in San Antonio, but I could always cancel. Registration was just $90 and I would actually come out ahead as the department is not paying for hotel, which is $90/night. One of my friends has a beach house in Galveston and I know she would let me stay there.

Yet mom thinks that there will be too many people there; she said Mary can't talk right now, so maybe just a card. Of course I'm feeling guilty as for the past five years we've lived only 3 or so hours away and have yet to go see her. Then again, we rarely leave Austin for more than a day trip. I'm also feeling guilty that I should be doing something for my dad. In the midst of this, I know I have to do a bunch of stuff before school starts, but that makes me feel selfish. At least I don't have to worry about the PR agency any more.

Maybe I shouldn't have watched the movie In America this evening -- it's kind of sad and probably didn't help my mood. Only I have been wanting to see that since it came out and finally had a chance. Good movie, but maybe I should have watched something a bit more lighthearted.